MONROE, La. – The ULM men's basketball team (1-2) captured a win in its home opener against Rust College (2-5) in Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Monday night (Nov. 10). Two Warhawks scored in double figures, while nine ULM players posted points in the contest. Head coach Phil Cunningham also found his first win at the helm at ULM with the win.
 
MJ Russell led the team with 20 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-6 from three. Russell also collected three rebounds, an assist, a block and two steals. Renars Sondors also reached double figures for the second-straight game, reaching a career-high 19 points. Sondors also posted seven rebounds, two assists and a block on the night. Freshman Alex Huguet Carrasco led the team with eight boards, also notching four points. With freshmen succeeding, Przemek Hartman comes to mind, two blocks, five boards and six points.
 
The Warhawks opened strong on the offense, MJ Russell finding the basket for a dunk to open the scoring. Russell continued to find opportunities in the first half, hitting two triples and collecting four rebounds. While Rust fought to stay in the game, freshman Przemek Hartman drilled a three-pointer to extend the lead to four with 15 minutes left in the half. 
 
Rust did not go away easily in the first 20 minutes, however, collecting five steals to keep it within 10. But after Dylan Diaz was able to capture the steal and score, ULM picked up the momentum. The Warhawks went on a 9-0 scoring run, forcing four turnovers for the Bearcats to find the double-digit advantage. The contest remained chippy, as both teams drew four fouls in the first half to fight for possession. 
 
Alex Huguet Carrasco also got into the action in the first half, driving for a layup, then capturing a steal to claim two more points. Krystian Lewis then hit ULM's fourth triple of the night with 5:04 remaining in the half, as the Warhawks netted four of their next four field goals. Lewis was among three other Warhawks that hit triples in the first 20 minutes, totaling five. While ULM continued to pull away, it was Rust College's Akeives Shorts that continued to fight for the Bearcats, putting up 19 points in the first half. ULM was still able to finish the half on top with a score of 43-32.
 
Renars Sondors got the scoring going in the second half, leading the team in points and three-pointers. In the first few minutes, the Warhawk defense continued to force turnovers and collect steals, allowing two points in the opening three minutes of the second half. As the game continued, ULM continued to defend, Rust going 0-for-5 from the field. Shorts continued to battle on behalf of the Bearcats, racking up 27 points in the contest and breaking another scoring drought. 
 
The Warhawks, on the other hand, continued to find the basket, shooting 4-of-4 during Rust's scoring drought for the 17-point lead with 13:57 remaining. Rust was able to catch a burst of offensive power, hitting three-of-three to chip away, but Russell's steal and score kept the Warhawks ahead. 
 
With the ULM energy bursting, the freshmen got in on the action, Molofeev finding Hartman for an alley-oop dunk and extending the lead to 24. Over the following ninety seconds, the Warhawks went on a 6-0 scoring run to reach the cusp of a 30-point advantage. A five-minute scoring drought for the Bearcats allowed ULM to pull ahead and extend the lead, going on a 10-0 run and forcing three turnovers. 
 
Ajay Tew closed out the contest with six points, reaching a career high and collected a three-point play on his resumé. Rust College, on the other hand, concluded the half going 1-for-13 from the field, as the Warhawks ran to an 88-55 victory.
 
The men's basketball team will hit the road yet again, taking on HCU on Thursday (Nov. 13). Tipoff in Houston is slated for 7 p.m.